The System.Collections namespace contains interfaces and classes that define various collections of objects, such as lists, queues, bit arrays, hash tables and dictionaries.
Remarks
The System.Collections namespace contains useful classes for storing collections of objects.
All collections implement the ICollection interface, which provides basic functionality for iterating through the elements of a collection. Collections that support index-based access into their elements and the ability to add and remove elements, such as the ArrayList, implement the IList interface. Collections that provide a key/value mapping, such as the Hashtable, implement the IDictionary interface.
Classes
| Type | Reason |
|---|---|
| ArrayList |
Implements the IList interface using an array whose size is dynamically increased as required. |
| BitArray |
Manages a compact array of bit values, which are represented as Booleans, where true indicates that the bit is on (1) and false indicates the bit is off (0). |
| CaseInsensitiveComparer |
Compares two objects for equivalence, ignoring the case of strings. |
| CaseInsensitiveHashCodeProvider |
Supplies a hash code for an object, using a hashing algorithm that ignores the case of strings. |
| CollectionBase |
Provides the abstract base class for a strongly typed collection. |
| Comparer |
Compares two objects for equivalence, where string comparisons are case-sensitive. |
| DictionaryBase |
Provides the abstract base class for a strongly typed collection of key/value pairs. |
| DictionaryEntry |
Defines a dictionary key/value pair that can be set or retrieved. |
| Hashtable |
Represents a collection of key/value pairs that are organized based on the hash code of the key. |
| ICollection |
Defines size, enumerators, and synchronization methods for all nongeneric collections. |
| IComparer |
Exposes a method that compares two objects. |
| IDictionary |
Represents a nongeneric collection of key/value pairs. |
| IDictionaryEnumerator |
Enumerates the elements of a nongeneric dictionary. |
| IEnumerable |
Exposes an enumerator, which supports a simple iteration over a non-generic collection. |
| IEnumerator |
Supports a simple iteration over a non-generic collection. |
| IEqualityComparer |
Defines methods to support the comparison of objects for equality. |
| IHashCodeProvider |
Supplies a hash code for an object, using a custom hash function. |
| IList |
Represents a non-generic collection of objects that can be individually accessed by index. |
| IStructuralComparable |
Supports the structural comparison of collection objects. |
| IStructuralEquatable |
Defines methods to support the comparison of objects for structural equality. |
| Queue |
Represents a first-in, first-out collection of objects. |
| ReadOnlyCollectionBase |
Provides the abstract base class for a strongly typed non-generic read-only collection. |
| SortedList |
Represents a collection of key/value pairs that are sorted by the keys and are accessible by key and by index. |
| Stack |
Represents a simple last-in-first-out (LIFO) non-generic collection of objects. |
| StructuralComparisons |
Provides objects for performing a structural comparison of two collection objects. |